Faced with criticism from residents and relatives of World Trade Center victims, architect Daniel Libeskind said he’d be willing to alter his design’s signature element – the open hole he wants to leave to the bottom of the Ground Zero pit.

“I provided a space which . . . has a dignity for thinking about the memorial,” Libeskind said of his design, which leaves open about two-thirds of the excavated trade center pit, known as the “bathtub,” complete with exposed concrete walls.

“The decision about if it [the memorial] is deep down, on top, green or blue, has water or paths, is not my decision. That void is to be filled by the memorial and the way it’s filled, whether it’s left open or not, is the decision for the jury [of a design competition].”

Victims’ relatives have praised the architect for reserving for the memorial a large part of the bathtub, which they consider sacred ground down to bedrock.

But many family members also echoed the concerns of downtown residents, saying they don’t want an open pit.

“It’s clear the site does not have to be completely open all the way down,” Libeskind said, in response to the criticism.

Libeskind said at least part of the bathtub walls and bedrock should be open to the sky in any version of his scheme.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is evaluating site designs from seven architecture teams.